


The way you said “I love you“

by MsLanna



Category: Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: Thrawn - Timothy Zahn
Genre: F/M, Prompt Fic, collection, thryce
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-10 06:14:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12293013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsLanna/pseuds/MsLanna
Summary: Collections of fics written to alist of 35 promptson how somebody can say 'I love you'. No overarching story, each piece is a stand-alone.The numbers will not correspond to the chapters because I write out of order. It's the prompt number.Each prompt is a self-contained story.Additionnal characters will be tagged if they become important. I will put a list of chapters they appear in here so you don't have to go searching.





	The way you said “I love you“

"You don't approve?" Thrawn asked coolly.

Arihnda loved and hated it. His voice was like ice, freezing and tempting. It was also very distracting. She didn't want to be distracted, she wanted disapprove. So she crossed her arms before her, a feeble defence and they both knew it. "I do."

"Explain."

One word. Only one word, but it was all he needed. Sometimes Arihnda wondered why she had ever allowed him into her inner circle. Simply being there should not be a qualifying characteristic. But Thrawn was also reliable, always true to his word. Something rare in the Empire.

"The civilians won't stay civil," Arihnda said. "They see what the Empire does to their planet. They will take up arms sooner or later."

"And the solution is to kill them right from the start?" Thrawn asked.

"Easier because they don't have weapons yet." She shrugged.

"Why do you assume they will turn hostile?"

Sometimes Arihnda wondered if he was wilfully naive or really didn't understand how the Empire worked. How had she ever let him get so close? His lack of survival instincts was alarming. As was his inability to learn how the Empire worked. Not the official ways of the military, but the corrupt reality of nepotism and playing favourites.

“Trust me,” she replied. “I know the Empire. I know how it works and the further away from Coruscant you are, the worse it is. I have seen it.”

“You do not have faith that we can change this,” Thrawn stated. "It is your province.”

“And if I step out of line, Tarkin will have a new governor appointed before you notice I missteppped.” She smiled tightly. “There are invisible lines, Thrawn. You might know it, but I know where they are. This will end in bloodshed.”

“Perhaps.” He took a step towards her, scrutinising her body language. Arihnda held still. He read way too much anyway. “But I did not shed that blood today; and neither have you.”

She wanted to shout at him. What did it matter? The blood would flow and at least now, it would have been only that of the civilians. In any future conflict Imperials were sure to die as well. Why could he not see that? Why did he never see the importance of it?

“Whatever.” Not rolling her eyes was an uphill battle, but she did win.

"The political organisation of the empire is deeply flawed," Thrawn replied. "This is spilling over into the military. We have to start somewhere improving these issues or they will fester and worsen. It is our duty to the Empire to turn it into a more stable and enduring entity."

"So you will take on the whole Empire?"

"Not all at once." A smile played around his lips.

Arihnda snorted. It was not a conversation she wanted to have right now. So he already had plans. Not surprising, and when he went down, so would she. But that had been her decision, had it not? Arihnda just wanted him to shut up. This was a mess and she was not happy with a single bit of it. Two against the Empire? Sure, why not. But since she could not bash in his head until some common sense seeped into it – she sighed. “I love you anyway.”

Thrawn looked at her intently, lifting her head slightly with his thumb. "It will pass."


End file.
